When You Wish Upon a Well
by onceuponanevilregal
Summary: With magic back in the land, the powers of the Lake Nostos waters have returned. What happens when Regina finds the well?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** Prompted to me by the amazing mind of Morganlafay. It starts off short but I promise the chapters will grow longer in time! Gotta start it off somehow. (; I hope you all enjoy!**

The cloud of purple rolled on. All over town, people were clinging to each other, stealing the last seconds they could with their real loved ones. Who knew what that purple smoke would do to them once it passed by. After all, the last time something like this came rushing toward them they had been cursed to another world. Which would also explain why Regina remained unconcerned. To any passerby, she could even be called happy with this strange phenomenon. Which she was. But that happiness could only go so far. Even the return of magic couldn't hold back the knowledge that she had once again lost.

"I'm so sorry, Daniel," she whispered as her mind insisted on reminding her that the curse was no longer. That was the hardest part of it all, knowing she had failed her lost lover.

The thoughts were interrupted by yelling outside her home. Her eyes snapped open. Since the smoke had done nothing that they were aware of, they had finally rallied enough to begin forming a mob. Her lip curled into a sneer as she watched them calling for her blood. How many times did she have to show they couldn't take her down. Her magic was far too powerful for any of them to hope to confront her. Though she must admit, now that Rumplestiltskin knew of Belle's survival, she couldn't count on him to remain out of things for long. She had to find a way to overcome his power. And what better place to start than the source of the returned magic? To find that, she just had to follow the power.

The magic inside of her tugged at her, leading her in the right direction. If there was one thing Regina had learned about magic, it was to follow the flow of power and not try to fight it. Even if it led her into the middle of the forest. She hated the forest. But if her magic wanted to lead her there, then there she would force herself to go. She really should have worn better shoes though. Walking through the brush and roots in heels was not a smart idea. To finish her walk barefoot or stumble along the rest of the way. Her decision was made for her when one of the heels snapped off.

"Fuck," she kicked the shoes off into the trees, not caring where they landed. What use would they be to her now? "We better be close," as if the magic could hear her. She stomped along the rest of the way, which thankfully was not much farther.

The tugging sensation disappeared when a well came into view. "So this is where the imp ran off to," she murmured as she drew closer. Her fingers trailed along the wall until they came to a rest on a plaque. 'Mystical Waters.' Her brows perked. Lake Nostos. Why hadn't she thought of this in all her years in Storybrooke? Oh right, because it was a waste of time and never helped her before. Her eyes roved over the words, pausing on 'that which was lost.' Again Daniel rose to the front of her thoughts. That which was lost. As the tears started to spill over, she couldn't help but scoff at the next part. Nothing could bring back Daniel, no matter what promises it made.

"I don't know how much longer I can stay strong, Daniel." She leaned on her hands against the well, using it as support to keep her upright. "I miss you so much." Unable to maintain her composure anymore, Regina let her tears flow freely, finally allowing herself to feel the pain she had so long kept at bay. "I just want you back," she whispered as she watched a single tear spill from her face and fall down, down into the depths of the well.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you again to Morganlafay for the brilliant idea that inspired this story and for taking on the role of my beta. I literally could not do this without you!**

Daniel blinked against the bright light of the sun as the purple fog that had surrounded him began to dissipate. His eyes adjusted slowly and he looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings that looked somehow familiar. He paused his careful scrutiny when his eyes found a group of people all staring at him from in front of a massive clock tower. Snow White, all grown up now. He would know her anywhere. The other three he had to think about. The man could only be King James since he stood protectively in front of Snow. The blonde woman had her arm around the young boy who held a large tome in his hand. His scruffy brown hair and that determined glint in his eye meant he had to be...Henry. Which would make the blonde Emma. Though he felt nothing personally for Henry, he couldn't help the glare that grew as he gazed upon the woman who had caused his Regina so much trouble.

James, Henry, and Emma recovered from their shock at the sudden appearance quickly. Snow remained frozen, being the only one who knew who Daniel was and what had happened to him. James, resuming his role as father and protector, reached for his sword on his belt to point it directly at Daniel's throat.

"Who are you and how did you get here?"

"James, no!" Snow jumped forward to push the sword away.

"Snow, we don't know who he is. And right now magic is back and unpredictable. Not to mention we don't even know where Rumplestiltskin or Regina are."

"He's safe," she promised. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at Daniel wonderingly. "This can't be. You died long before the curse was enacted. How…?"

Daniel shook his head, he didn't know. "It doesn't make sense to me either. But I need to find her. Where is she?"

"We don't know. As soon as the curse was lifted both she and Rumplestiltskin disappeared."

"Can someone please explain what's going on here?" Emma cut in from behind them. Snow turned around. She had forgotten they were even there. Confusion clouded Emma's and Henry's faces. James had sheathed his sword but kept his hand wrapped around the hilt, ready to pull it at a moment's notice.

"What's going on," Snow turned back to Daniel again, "is the return of a person who is key to everything that has happened to us." Emma's brow perked and she ducked under James' outstretched arm to move next to Snow and get a better look at Daniel. Daniel shifted his weight, growing antsier the longer he was kept from finding Regina.

"I thought the key person was Regina. What does he have to do with her? And what do you mean 'return?' Where did he go?" Emma asked

"He has everything to do with her." Snow replied. She left it at that.

Impatience finally beating decorum, Daniel spoke up, "I promise I will answer any questions you have for me. But please, I need to find her. She's at a well. Can you lead me to her?"

Snow nodded. "Henry, go find Red. Stay with her until we come back for you." She couldn't know how Regina would react upon seeing Daniel and didn't want to put her newfound grandson in any unnecessary danger. "How do you know at the well?"

"I don't know how I know. I just do. Now can we go?"

The pace as the travelled through the woods was too slow for Daniel. But James had insisted they move slowly to decrease any chances of leaving a trail or making too much noise. Not with Rumplestiltskin in power and roaming free. Emma still hadn't given up on finding out the whole story.

"If you were from the Enchanted Forest, why have I never seen you until now? I thought I knew everyone in town."

"I didn't follow the curse." Daniel replied tensely.

"So, what? You alone remained immune and stayed behind while everyone else was ripped from their homes and their loved ones?" Emma didn't bother to hide the disdain in her voice.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at her. "I didn't have a choice." He didn't care to divulge his story with her, not when he felt himself drawing closer and closer to Regina.

Emma snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Emma, drop it," Snow's voice was firm and left no room for argument. Shock kept Emma from fighting back. Mary Margaret had never spoken to her like that. She shook her head as she thought how weird this was going to be.

"Regina!" Daniel yelled suddenly and broke from the group to race forward.

Regina sat on the ground, her back to the well and her head resting against her knees which she had pulled up to her chest. At the sound of her name, she lifted her head to see who was calling for her. When she saw Daniel break through the trees, another sob rose up and she buried her head again. Would these stupid apparitions never leave her be?

Daniel came to a halt in front of her and collapsed to his knees. His hand reached forward to stroke her head. His own tears welled up, though his were from happiness. "Regina," he spoke her name softly, almost reverently. "Regina, look at me."

Regina shook her head, just barely enough to notice. "No, you're not real. Go away." His hand on her head felt so real. She wanted it to be real so bad. But Daniel was dead. It wasn't real. It was just in her imagination once again.

Again Daniel said her name, this time more firmly until she couldn't stop herself from giving in to her delusions and looking up again. He cupped her face in his hands and brought his face close to hers until his face filled her entire vision. His lips neared hers but before they could touch, they were interrupted.

"Holy shit," Emma stared at the sight.

Snow jammed her elbow in Emma's ribs. "Shush! Let them have their moment."

Regina looked over Daniel's shoulder at the intrusion on her dreams. "Can't I even dream without you two ruining everything?" She tried to put her characteristic sneer into place, but she could only sound numb.

"Regina," Snow squatted down in front of the couple. "This isn't a dream. Daniel's back."

"Back from where?" Emma demanded, sick of feeling out of the loop. James grunted in agreement. He was tiring of this guesswork too.

Daniel couldn't hold back any longer. His lips met hers in a deep and passionate kiss. Regina couldn't stop herself. Even if it was only a dream, she still craved those lips. But then something in the kiss changed. His lips were real. He was there in front of her. It was real. Daniel rested his forehead against hers. "I've waited so long to do that again," he whispered as his thumb continued to caress her cheek. The tears she shed now were from pure happiness and she could do nothing but nod her agreement to his words.

"Well isn't this a sweet picture," a new voice interrupted them. Regina's eyes widened in fear. Daniel's arms drew her against him. Snow swallowed and stepped back against James who just shared a confused look with Emma. "But really, is this any way for a lady to greet her mother?" Cora asked.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**** Thank you everyone for your patience! Vacation was great but now it's time to get back to work. Thank you, Morganlafay for the amazing idea and for being my beta!**

Cora looked over the group surrounding the well, a smile that held no kindness set on her face. Regina, recovering from the shock, broke from Daniel's arms and pushed him behind her. She had lost him once already, she wouldn't make the same mistake again. As Cora drew nearer to them, Regina stood, pulling Daniel with her. The two backed up until Regina could feel Snow White behind her and grabbed the woman's arm who in turned grabbed onto Emma with the hand not already clasped in James'.

"You are no mother to me," Regina spat. There was just enough time to see anger twist Cora's features before a puff of smoke surrounded the party and their feet left the ground.

Regina's feet touched down gracefully. As the smoke around her cleared, Regina stepped over the sprawled bodies of her companions to stumble to the cabinet where she kept the drinks in her office. Her hands skipped over the majority of the bottles until she got to the back of the shelf and pulled a bottle out up to eye level. 140 proof cider. Just what she needed. Ignoring the glass set on the top of the cabinet, Regina took a long drink straight from the bottle.

As the alcohol slid down her throat and settled into her stomach, Regina lined up the glasses in front of her. "Anyone care for a drink?" When no one said anything, she looked over her shoulder and pursed her lips. Everyone was still on the ground where they had fallen after the release of her spell. "It wasn't that bad."

Emma glanced in Regina's direction before squeezing her eyes shut and tried to sit up. "Easy for you to say. You didn't just find out fairytales and magic are real," she groaned and reached a hand out for a glass. Regina poured out some cider and passed it over. "A little warning would have been nice too, you know."

Regina's lip curled. "A little warning would have gotten one, if not all of us, killed."

Daniel had managed to get up during the exchange and placed a hand on Regina's shoulder. She looked at him and though there was worry still etched in her features at the return of Cora; she allowed his presence to comfort her. Emma watched, still amazed, as Regina's façade softened. "Who the hell are you?" Emma demanded once again.

Regina didn't even spare her a glance as she answered, "This is Daniel."

Again Emma was amazed at how quiet and soft Regina was. _Where had the hard, cold bitch gone?_ She pressed on. "But who is he?"

"Why don't you ask your dear, precious mother who he is," Regina snapped, finally turning her head away from Daniel to glare at Emma. Daniel tightened his grip around Regina's waist to pull her attention back to him. Her wraps wrapped around his neck as she leaned into him, a smile once again melting away the hatred caused by the other women in the room. Emma looked over at Snow White, her mother she reminded herself, with raised brows.

Snow motioned Emma to take a seat on the couch. "You'll want to hear this too," she told James as she pulled him after her. Once they had settled onto the couch, Snow looked around at the ragtag group and frowned. "Shouldn't Henry be included in this? He has a right to know too after all." She looked at Emma.

Regina cut in before the blonde could reply. "_My_ son_," _she stressed, "will know about this when I decide. And right now he's safer away from all of this."

Snow gave a hesitant glance at Regina and nodded. A deep breath was taken before she focused on James to tell the story. "You know how much she hates me and wanted to take you from me." James nodded. "I never told you that she had every reason to. Daniel is her one true love. And I…" Snow lifted her gaze to meet Daniel's, regret filling her eyes with tears, "It's my fault you died."

Daniel frowned slightly as his head moved in a slow nod. "Yes, I can just remember feeling Regina's anger at you." He wasn't quite sure how he knew this though. Or anything that had happened since his death. He looked to Regina, hoping she had an explanation.

Regina pulled the chain out from around her neck and placed the ring hanging from it on her palm where he could see it. "This was the last thing I kept that retained its magic from the other world. The magic that we shared." His fingers found the ring in her hand, a smile in place at the sight of the keepsake and the memories it held. "Part of you remained in this ring and so you could hear and see what happened around me, although not as clearly obviously." Daniel nodded - it made sense - and motioned for Snow to continue. Before Snow started, Regina pulled Daniel to the remaining open love seat and curled up on him. She already knew the story but Daniel was interested to hear everything. His arms circled around her and his chin rested atop her head while she continued to play with his ring.

Again, Snow was interrupted from proceeding with the story. "Wait, you killed him?" Emma asked incredulous.

Snow nodded sadly, "I didn't know her mother would react so heavily."

"Even after I made it very clear that no one, especially my mother, was supposed to find out." Regina couldn't help but cut in, adding to Snow's guilt.

"I should have listened to you," Snow acknowledged apologetically. She berated herself every day for that mistake.

"So, Regina's mother killed him. Not you," Emma clarified.

"She did the deed but I was the one to cause it," Snow corrected.

"Yes. If it weren't for you, my mother never would have found out and ripped his heart out right in front of me. Losing me the only love I would ever have." Deep loathing filled Regina's words. Daniel pressed his lips to her head, whispering something softly to her. She sighed and curled back into him, once again focusing her attention on the ring and not the room around her.

"But you have him back. Can't we stop the fighting now and move on?" Emma asked.

Snow bit her lip. "It won't be that easy anymore…"

James, noticing Snow's fear and hesitation, immediately came to attention, his hand circling the hilt of his sword once more. "Regina's not causing any problems. What else could there be to worry about?"

Before Snow could answer, Emma's eyes widened as she went back to the scene by the well. She turned to Regina, understanding clear on her face. "That was your mother wasn't it?"

Regina nodded sadly. "Yes," she whispered, her words fearful. "Magic brought Daniel back to me. And all magic comes with a price."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**** BLAH! Life is getting crazy right now! I'm so sorry for the delays in updates everywhere. If you're reading any of my other stories, I'm sorry to disappoint but those will be on hold for the time being. I'm going to focus on this story and hopefully update every few days. Either once this story is over or once I get some more time in my life, I'll continue on with the others.**

**And once again, thank you Morganlafay for the amazing idea and for being my awesome beta!**

After the confirmation of Cora's return, Regina buried her face in Daniel's neck, wishing she could hide from the world and its problems,(even if it was just for a short time). Snow watched her and couldn't imagine what the woman must be feeling after the events of the past couple of hours. She grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her daughter up with her as she stood. "We should probably go check on Henry," Snow stated. Daniel nodded at her, his hand still rubbing along Regina's back. "Let's go," Snow reiterated, yanking on Emma's arm again - the blonde seemed to still be frozen in shock over Regina's story. The tug seemed to pull her out of it however and she nodded, allowing Snow and James to lead the way out of the room.

Emma couldn't resist stealing one last glance at the couple still sitting on the loveseat as she shut the door behind them. "So that is Regina's true love. Who knew the woman had it in her?"

"Regina was a very kind and gentle woman at one time," Snow reprimanded. "her heart wasn't always rotten. And now that Daniel is back, I wouldn't be surprised if it heals."She sounded hopeful

"That may be so," James cut in. "But I'm more concerned about her mother. If her mother is worse than Regina, we are in for a wild ride."

Snow nodded her head at his words. "Cora is much worse. Regina was merely a torn-up and broken woman. She didn't want to hurt, she just didn't know how else to act. She was never taught any better. Cora, on the other hand," Snow's teeth worried her lower lip, "Cora is just mad and power hungry."

"Worse than Regina. Great. And here I thought all our problems would be over," Emma grumbled and stomped off down the hallway. Snow and James shared a look before following after her. "So what are we going to do about this? If Regina is afraid of her and we couldn't even beat Regina, what hope do we have against Cora?" She shoved the main door open a bit harder than she had meant to and winced as it slammed against the wall, looking around for any sign of trouble. Nothing was there though. The trio continued on their way, ears open for the slightest hint of danger.

"You overcame Regina on your own against the odds. This time we have the entire town. And Regina, I'm sure. I don't see her standing idly by when the woman who tore out her love's heart in front of her is still around," Snow commented. She paused and James stopped with her. It took Emma a second to realize her parents were no longer with her. She looked behind her to see the two in a heated argument; James was looking stubborn and kept shaking his head, Snow had the same determination on her face as her mouth moved to words Emma couldn't hear.

"Are you two coming or am I going to have to find Henry on my own?" Emma demanded, moving closer to the couple.

James and Snow exchanged a few more words until finally James sighed in frustration and nodded, his hand running over his head. "Fine. We'll try it."

"Try what?"

Snow looked at Emma. "You go find Henry alone. James and I have somewhere we need to go."

"Where are you going?"

"Emma, go find Henry. Your father and I will be back soon. I promise." Snow squeezed Emma's hand before linking her arm with James' and they hurried away. Emma watched them, her unhappiness clear in the way she stared after them. But she had to admit, she was worried about Henry after the kid had been out of her sight for so long so she spun in the other direction and continued on her way to the diner.

wishwishwishwishwishwishwish wishwishwishwishwish

As soon as the door had closed them in, Regina allowed the tears to start spilling over again. They soaked into the shoulder of Daniel's shirt, but he didn't notice. He stayed silent, letting her cry herself out.

"I'm so sorry," Regina managed to squeeze out.

"Regina, what could you possibly be sorry about?"

"For everything. I've done horrible things I'm not proud of. But I didn't know what else to do. I lost you and there was nothing for me. Leopold ignored me, Snow was a constant reminder. My mother continued to magic everything in her sight. Daddy wouldn't stand up to her. It all became too much. I couldn't take it anymore," Regina rambled until Daniel's lips quieted hers. She melted against him and let his quiet strength seep into her.

"Can I say something before you continue?" Daniel asked before Regina could open her mouth to speak again. She nodded. "You were hurt, lost, and confused. You had no one to comfort you, no one to teach you how to cope with anything. No one can blame you for the way things turned out." Daniel tried to meet her eyes but she wouldn't look at him, still ashamed that he knew of all the things she had subjected her world to. "Regina, look at me." She continued to avoid eye contact. "Look at me!" He grabbed her chin forcing Regina to meet his eyes. "Whatever you have done in the past is over. What matters is what you do in the now. Do you want to help and take us back home or do you want to continue torturing Snow White for a mistake she made as a young, impressionable girl? That is all I will ever judge you by."

"I killed my own father," she sobbed.

"For a fresh start! I'm not saying I approve. I know if there were any other way you would have. But you needed to get away and start over again. It was the only way to move on."

"How can you be accepting of all I have done? I'm the Evil Queen for gods' sakes. My own son can't even stand me!" The tears started falling faster again atthe thought of her son. She had tried so hard to be a good mom, so hard to give him everything she never had. But it had never been enough for him. He couldn't look past all the evil she had committed and even if she had denied it all year, she knew it was all true and each accusation tore whatever had been left of her heart into smaller and smaller pieces.

"Your son doesn't love you like I do," was Daniel's reply. He rested his chin on the top of her head and held her tightly against him. Regina sniffled as the tears seemed to near their end. "I love you, Regina. Nothing is going to change that."

"I love you too," Regina murmured.

Daniel once again sat quietly to let Regina's thoughts settle. Finally he had to ask her, "So what are you going to do now?"

She untangled herself from her arms to get a better look at her true love, a smile breaking through the tear-streaked face. "Right now, I want to take advantage of having you back in my life again."

Daniel's brows rose, a playful grin as he took in the glint in Regina's eyes. "Lead the way, m'lady."

Regina's smile grew as she stood on her feet. She took his hand in hers and pulled him up to his feet. A second later, a puff of purple smoke was all that remained of the two after she magicked to her bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**** Holy cow it's been a while. I am so sorry, my lovely readers! I'm not going to make excuses, I'm just going to say that I am planning on updating this more often. I have another fanfic coming up soon too that I'll be bouncing back and forth with, so keep an eye out for that! Anyway, enough of my rambling, I'm sure you all want to read now so without further ado, Chapter 5!**

Soft fingers trailed lazy patterns over the bare chest of Daniel. His arm tightened around her as Regina planted a gentle kiss upon his shoulder before letting her head rest on him. They lay there, Regina curled up against her returned lover for what seemed like forever after their long separation in silence, content to just be in each other's arms again.

In reality it had only been a couple minutes that had passed before Regina adjusted her head so that her chin took the place where her cheek had just been and she could gaze upon his face, the face she had thought had been lost to her forever. A smile curved her soft lips. Her fingers stopped their patterns on his chest to trail up his neck and to memorize the features of his face with her touch. She started with his brow, moving the lock of hair that had shielded his eyes from view. From there she moved across his cheeks and along his jawline until finally she reached his lips. They were tilted up in a small smile and still swollen from the time they had spent together.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," she spoke softly, not wanting to ruin the moment but needing to say something. As she had worried, he frowned. Regina pulled her hand away and let it drop to his chest. Her chin and cheek switched places again so she wouldn't have to look at the frown.

"I'm sorry," he said, regret and sadness filling his voice. That was an answer she had not been expecting. She pushed herself up into a sitting position so she could get a better look at him, now frowning herself.

"Whatever do you have to be sorry for, Daniel?"

"All these years I was right there. I saw everything that had happened. Heard everything going on around you. And I could do nothing to help you." Now that Regina's fears and concerns had been discussed and taken care of, Daniel's guilt was starting to make itself known. "I let you suffer and grow cold and-"

Regina took his face between her hands and kissed his lips before he could get any more words out. When he had calmed down enough, she pulled back and looked him lovingly in the eyes. "Never blame yourself for that," she told him gently. "You were killed and taken from me. It is impossible to overcome the barriers of death. Well, almost impossible," she amended with a smirk and kissed him again, passion filling the gesture.

Daniel didn't appear convinced and pulled away, feeling undeserving. "You still went through all that grief because of me. I can't just forget that."

"Daniel, I will not hear you speak like this nor will I allow you to think such thoughts! Snow White caused that grief, not you. Do you understand me?" When Daniel only looked away as much as her hold on his face allowed, Regina brought his face to hers and kissed him, softer this time but firm enough he couldn't pull away. Her eyes bore into his. "Do you. Understand me?"

Daniel opened his mouth to reply but before he could a large explosion sent them flying across the room. Bits and pieces of the now blown apart bed pelted them as they were slammed into the far wall. Regina grunted and opened her eyes just in time to watch a particularly large piece of the headboard heading directly at her. Regret and sadness flashed through her as she waited for her imminent doom that she had only just reconnected with Daniel and it was already over.

But before it could reach her, Daniel threw himself in front of her and curled his body around her, ducking his head so that his back took the brunt of the hit. He cried out in pain as his spine was forced in the other direction by the force of the blow against his will and there was a sharp snap. Not long after Regina felt his full weight slump against her. "Daniel?" she whispered, fearing the worst. "Daniel!" She tried to shift under his body without moving him too much but no matter how she moved, she was sure she was only making it worse. There was no way of getting out from under him without hurting him so she stopped worrying about what had already happened and crawled as best as she could out.

The shard shower had finished but the damage had already been done. Regina ignored the state of her room to attend to Daniel who, without her body holding him up, had fallen to the ground. His back was bent at an angle that it shouldn't have been able to manage and he was still. Too still. "Daniel, you can't leave me," she told him, tears trailing tracks down the dust that had settled on her cheeks. "Daniel, you have to wake up. I just got you back…" As she leaned down to kiss him, another explosion interrupted her and she ended up throwing herself forward to try and protect him, but the force of it didn't reach them this time.

"Really, dear, have I taught you nothing?"

Regina stiffened. Maybe if she didn't turn around, she wouldn't be standing there.

"You would have thrown your life away for _love_," she spat the word. "No wonder you couldn't handle maintaining the curse." With the scathing words came a burst of magic that sent Regina once again careening into the wall. She refused to make a sound as Cora stalked closer and crouched down next to Daniel. "And you could have healed him rather quickly. But you let your weakness cloud your judgment and forgot you had magic. Pity." Cora's lips curled up in a sneer of contempt while Regina's mouth gaped at her drastic error.

She finally found some sense when Cora reached out to grasp onto Daniel's hair and lifted his head up, but by then it was too late. No matter how much she struggled to break free, Cora's magic held her in place. All that she could do was stare, torn between glaring at the woman who had given birth to her and watching the man she loved as blood leaked down his brow. She nearly broke through the constraints by sheer will power when her mother looked up with a rather large smirk of satisfaction evident on her features. "Well well, it seems your dear _lover_ is still breathing." Regina sagged against her bonds in relief until Cora spoke up again. "We'll see how much longer that will last."

"Leave him alone!" Cora's words angered Regina enough for her to finally break free. Cora barely managed to throw up a shield, dropping Daniel unceremoniously in the process, as Regina shot bolt after bolt of power at her but a look of pleasure filled her features. This only fueled Regina's rage.

"Yes, let your power fill you!" Cora crowed. "Let your passion inspire you. _This _is what you need to do." She backed away with each attack, leading Regina out of the room and away from Daniel.

Had Regina not been in such a rage fueled haze, she would have noticed what her mother was doing. But all she could think about was getting rid of Cora. "Get. The fuck. Out of here!" She screamed from the top of the stairs and threw another shot of energy at Cora, this one more forceful than the other ones she had thrown. The energy was visible, crackling and giving off sparks as it flew through the air at the older woman. Regina didn't even flinch this time as the third explosion that night sounded. Her last magical attack had finally broken through Cora's shield and the result was half of the house was blown away.

Purple smoke slowly cleared away to reveal Cora untouched and somehow floating over the area that used to hold the staircase. Regina watched with wide eyes as Cora, without any effort, rose slowly to Regina's level and smiled proudly at her. "You could do such great things if only you would let yourself." She settled comfortably on the step next to Regina and placed a soft and tender hand upon her daughter's cheek.

The touch seemed to wake Regina from her reverie and she swatted the hand away while backing away as quick as she could. "Why can't I be great just being me?" She shouted.

Cora stared back as if she didn't understand how Regina could be so dense. "Because, my dear, you could be so much more."

Regina straightened her back and wiped off the tears that still lingered on her face, which only served to smear the dirt around, but still gave her a sense of strength which she desperately needed. "No, mother. I am done settling for less than I am. I will not play your games anymore."

Cora's gaze narrowed. "You insolent child, you will obey me." Her words held a quiet threat behind them that shook Regina to her core, but still she did not relapse.

"I am done obeying you! I will not be your little pawn anymore. I don't know what you went through to become like this, but I will not put up with it anymore. I am done with you."

Cora drew herself up to her full height, nostrils flaring in anger. "You will pay dearly, Regina. And you will come to your senses. You will be alone, helpless, and hunted down until you do. But your mother, your dear mother who had done nothing but love you and done what is best for you, will be there to welcome you back."

"I won't be alone," Regina said with more confidence than she felt. She had Daniel, true, but Daniel was unconscious with no idea when he would ever wake up. And everyone else hated her. Cora was right, she would be alone and hunted. But better that than letting her mother control and ruin her life again.

"We will see about that," Cora pursed her lips. The two women glared at each other, Regina hot with anger and betrayal, Cora cold and calculating. Finally the older witch broke the silence. "I had hoped some experience would make you wiser. But I guess we will just have to revert back to when you were a child." With a simple wave of her hand, belts sprang out of nowhere and wrapped tightly around Regina who fought and struggled against them. "I will not tolerate insolence, dear." Fingers curled into her palm. Regina gasped out as the belts around her tightened and she stopped fighting them. Satisfied that Regina had calmed down enough, Cora started for the bedroom again. Regina trailed after her in her magic bindings.

Regina closed her eyes to focus better on her own magic while her mother was distracted. A sudden stop jolted her back to the present and she lost all the power she had begun to build up. Her eyes snapped back open to see what her mother was planning and cried out when she saw Daniel still sprawled awkwardly on the ground just in front of her. Cora stuck her foot under his body and flipped him over; crunching resounded through the room from his shattered spine. Regina didn't even try to hide the sobs that were wracking her body at the sight of her lover so beaten and broken and her mother making it worse.

Cora's gaze shifted upward to her daughter who was still hovering in the air. "When you realize where your true allegiances lie, you can have your toy back."

Regina crashed to the ground suddenly and barely managed enough strength to push herself up on her arms to look around the room. All that remained where shards of glass and splinters. Cora was gone and so was Daniel. Unable to maintain her composure anymore, Regina's arms gave out and she crumpled, sobbing, to the floor.


End file.
